Jumpline magazine JUNE 2023 pages - Flipbook - Page 34
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MDFR Gear Lab
Lazaro “Laz” Pereda
MDFR’s Bunker Gear Lab Explained
Bunker gear is what keeps firefighters safe
when they run into buildings from which others are running out, but that cape that gives
superpowers has also been giving cancer to
the heroes that wear it. A study conducted by
the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) concluded that firefighters
get cancer more often than the general public.
Studies put the increased rate at 14%. Certain
types of cancer are as high as 66%. Exposure
to products of incomplete combustion is such
an occupational hazard that in 2012 the World
Health Organization re-classified firefighting as
a carcinogenic line of work.
Like a virus,
dirty gear
was spreading
cancer causing
carcinogens to
crews that were
on shift during
the fire and most
insidiously,
to our families.
Anyone who has been in the fire service for
more than 5 years has known at least one person diagnosed with cancer. While we may have
signed up for a job with certain hazards, our
families did not. None of us ever considered
the fire fought on the shift before us, by different crews, to be
part of the hazard that would affect us on our shift.
A study by The University of Miami Firefighter Cancer Initiative showed how soiled bunker gear can spread the products
of combustion by off-gassing for days after being in a fire. We
all know that by the smell of the truck at 0630 when we load
our gear into the rig and say, “Damn, these jokers got some
last night.” Until the studies came out, with a snazzy video to
accompany them, most of us didn’t appreciate how those cancer-causing agents also spread to our personal vehicles and
even to our homes and family members.
Around the same time the fire service was concluding that dirty
bunker gear is a bad idea, NFPA changed the requirements for
bunker gear. Advance cleaning would now be required every
6 months, or whenever gear is exposed to soiling in a fire. As
a first step, our department started requiring on scene gross
decontamination.
By now you realize what I’m saying: soiled, dirty bunker gear,
that has been a badge of honor in the fire service since knee
Changing the
culture can be
a challenge but
it is possible as
long as sensible,
attainable goals
are set and the
tools for success
are provided.
high leather boots and mustaches, are killing us.
Once you understand what the problem is, you
can work to mitigate it. The answer is clean gear
and clean firefighters, but beyond the logistical
challenges of getting and cleaning the gear, we
also have to address the cultural challenge.
On scene gross decon is a must do first step.
Bagging the dirty gear and showering within the
hour are important additional steps to mitigate the
exposure to cancer causing agents. But that dirty
gear still has to be cleaned and crews need to
be ready to respond to another call where bunker
gear is needed. Six years ago, Miami Dade Fire
Rescue (MDFR) was determined to find a solution to this problem quickly and without putting the
burden on operations crews. After a few years
of considering different options, MDFR and Local
1403 through their Health and Safety Committee
began to have conversations and work out different options. From that joint effort, came the concept of the Gear
Lab.
While some fire departments opted to install extractors at stations and task already busy crews to clean their own gear, that
answer did not seem to fit our profile. With 72 stations spread
over 2,500 square miles, all the moving parts needed to have a
successful program would intimidate anyone, but MDFR made
a commitment to find solutions, not excuses. The Gear Lab
would be a central cleaning facility with certified personnel that
perform a basic inspection of gear to determine if it needs to
go to a third party verified Independent Service Provider (ISP).
The ISP would also perform advanced cleaning every 6 months
or after exposure to carcinogens. Support vehicles would handle the pick-up of soiled gear and return it clean, in most cases
within 24 hours.
MDFR also sized all personnel for a second set of gear, distributed the set, and provided a gear bag. Helmets, boots and
SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) masks would be
cleaned at the fire house. A specialized computer tracking program (PSTrax) was purchased and implemented. This would
track when gear is aged out or damaged beyond acceptable
limits to remain in service.
Within a few short years MDFR’s Gear Lab created a program
to ensure every firefighter is always in clean gear and in
compliance with NFPA 1851.
Once again, MDFR brought
innovation to the fire service.
With the department’s growth over the past few years, the Gear
Lab is looking to double its foot print at our Logistics warehouse.
Additional extractors have been purchased and personnel
trained. Logistics is working with Facilities to increase drying
space.
In the past few years, compliance began to slide, and again
by communicating and working with the Local, the cause was
identified. Personnel wanted their gear back. They didn’t want
June 2023 | JUMPLINE Magazine
